Eskdale Mill

Nestled into the edge of the lake district is Eskdale mill dating back to at least 1578, I arrived by train although that is a whole other post. Any chance to visit a working water mill is grabbed by both hands, I find anything mechanical fascinating regardless of what the end product.

Eskdale Mill is run by Eskdale Mill and Heritage Trust, and I would recommend following this link to their website to find out more about this wonderful place. The volunteers I spoke to were lovely and very knowledgeable about the ins and outs of this wonderful building. With a shop and picnic grounds it proved to be excellent value for money.

                                                                   Drying rack for grain

I find this type of technology fascinating :-)

and I always find an excuse for some weird photos

The wheels are the stars of the show, there are few double wheel mills still in existence, the last one I visited was at Dunster in Somerset.

looking at the floor inside the mill I noticed some interesting recycling going on.

spot the grinding stones

Speaking to the volunteers it appear s that although this mill is recorded as a corn mill and was last used commercially for grinding animal food it is thought that there is a possibility that it was also used as a fulling mill. This is based on the uncovering of a bath along with the space on the shaft to accommodate the equipment needed. There is also a carding mill along the river and the names of adjoining fields also relate to textile production.

I spotted another water mill from the railway which I assume is Muncaster mill